• Home
  • Blog
  • Learners
  • COMING SOON
  • APPS
  • Contact
TeachMrN
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Learners
  • COMING SOON
  • APPS
  • Contact

#TeachingHero

20/6/2018

0 Comments

 
This week's #TeachingHero is @wayrf! Check out their interview below, and get in touch if you fancy spreading a little motivation of your own!

What motivates you to work hard?
My family are a big help! My kids certainly keep me going when work is tough. I've also started keeping a box of positive feedback - learning walks, emails from pupils/parents, Christmas cards, other nice messages. Good to dip into now and again when I'm struggling to remember why I chose to do this impossible, infuriating, exhilirating job.

Where do you go for personal and professional support or advice?
I'm lucky to have such a good department around me, but there's also colleagues across other departments in the school who I do talk to and take advice from. Twitter has also been invaluable; I'm largely anonymous on here, so feel I can talk about more or less anything. There's always someone out there willing to offer advice or just sympathise. Worst bit of the profession? Two related things: staying organised, and keeping up with the marking (I'm an English teacher, so deserve anything I get). It's vital to get a system in place, and sticking with it, however hard it gets - maintain momentum, and all the rest follows.

Picture
What strategies do you use to manage workload and protect your well being?
I've put in place a few rules, which I do my best to stick to. Not always successfully; but even when I do fail, they're there in the back of my mind for next time. Here goes:
1. Earliest I'll get to work is 7.30am
2. Latest I'll stay at school is 5pm (unless it's a consultation evening or other diaried event)
3. I try to avoid working in the evening. If I do, I try not to do so two nights in a row; and I don't work past 9pm.
4. Weekends: I have at least 1 day off each weekend School are reasonably supportive, but like so many others they're struggling with reduced budgets - so staff well-being has been one of the first things to dissolve.

What advice would you give anyone who felt like giving up?

This last term has been especially tough - one of my hardest since I retrained and started teaching 2 years ago. I think it was a combination of factors: an increased timetable; behaviour issues; lack of support from others in department/elsewhere in school (although see my answer to Q3 - so much of this is budget related, and completely out of the control of my colleagues). I think what has kept me going is being honest, and talking about issues quickly when they've come up, and seeking help when I need it. Never be afraid to do this - this is such a demanding job, and everyone has their peaks and troughs. It can feel lonely in the classroom sometimes, but teaching is a team sport. Lean on them when you need to, and be ready to listen when someone else needs to talk. Otherwise, keeping the basics in focus is also *so* important. Tiredness has a massive effect on my mood, especially towards the end of the week; so I take more early nights than I used to, and having a bath can work wonders for the quality of my sleep. Also important to eat well (and I'm blessed that my lovely wife is such a good cook!), and not overdo other things such as alcohol. They can be an effective short-term fix - but over time, they cause more problems than they solve.

Sum up the profession in 5 words.

Not easy, so the best I can do is: Be kind, know your subject.

Picture
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Teaching and
    Learning
    Blog

    Use the categories below to browse every blog entry!

    Categories

    All
    Assessment
    Blog
    Classroom
    CPD
    Curriculum
    Discussion
    English
    Leadership
    Learners
    Maths
    Motivation
    Planning
    Resources
    Strategies & Ideas
    Video
    Well Being

    Archives

    September 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015

    RSS Feed

Copyright © TeachMrN 2018
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Learners
  • COMING SOON
  • APPS
  • Contact